Leaning That Way
by Carry On
Summary: Yugi gets an unpleasant surprise when he encounters an unexpected friend on a late night walk home. [Yugi x Malik]


**It took many years for Kazuki Takahashi to finally create Yu-Gi-Oh! the way it is. **

**It only took me a few days to make this using his characters. It'll probably tell.**

**000**

Yugi had encountered and scurried away from several interesting people on his late night journey home through the city, but the stranger ahead was capturing his attention the most. The man was drifting from one side of the sidewalk to the other, almost falling into the empty street at one point. His arms flew up and dropped back down erratically. As Yugi slowly made his way forward, gathering his courage not to turn around and avoid the man, he saw him more clearly and suddenly stopped. He couldn't believe it, but there was no mistaking that the unusual combination of blond hair and brown skin belonged to Malik Ishtar.

He took his hands out of his pockets and lifted his head to try and catch the Egyptian's wandering eyes.

"Malik-_kun_," Yugi put all of his surprise into that word. He stood still and watched Malik stop and lean against a wall, looking puzzled. "When did you get here? How come you're wandering around so late by yourself?"

Malik stared past him for a moment, but finally got his eyes focused on Yugi. Yugi suddenly became very uneasy as Malik steadied himself with aid of the wall; everything that had made him nervous before he had recognized him came flooding back. Something was wrong with Malik and until he found out what, he resolved to keep his distance.

"Oh, Yugi-_kun_. Want to tour the city with me?"

"What?"

"It's very lovely. Bright lights everywhere," Malik nodded his head and looked up. He then stumbled back, his arms reaching in the air for something to grab. Yugi rushed forward, forgetting his vow to stay back, and grabbed Malik's flailing arms. Malik grinned. "Lovely."

Yugi winced as Malik's sloppy smile lingered on his face, but it didn't match the repulsion he felt when the overwhelming stench of alcohol reached his nose. Now that he was up close to his former enemy it was clear what had been wrong with Malik; the smell surrounded him like an invisible blanket. He wasn't sure what do next and gave a quick, twitching smile to Malik. His hopes went up a little when he spied a bench a few yards back the way he had come. He tugged slightly on Malik where he had a grip on the other boy;s upper arm to lead him over. "Why don't we sit down for a while, Malik?"

Maik responded with a frown and a weak attempt to pull his arm away from Yugi's grip. Yugi wanted to step away, but he stayed, trying to keep his gaze despite his uneasiness with Malik's angry features.

"No." He spoke as if a defiant child.

"Malik-_kun_, I think it'd be best if you sat down. You shouldn't be wandering around in your state."

"Who are you to tell me what I should do?" Malik glared down at Yugi. This time he yanked his arm away and started to walk away, his hand sliding against the wall as he went along.

Yugi followed. He couldn't leave a drunken Malik alone to grope his way around a city that wasn't familiar to him even when he was sober. He was determined to ignore Malik's sudden anger, no matter how much it frightened him.

"Malik-_kun_," He was side by side with him now. "You need to sit down."

Malik looked down, this time with a sleepy, foolish expression slowly replacing the frown and down-turned brows. Without warning, he put his arm around Yugi's shoulder and leaned on him instead of the wall.

Even if he hadn't been caught off guard, Malik was heavy and Yugi almost crumpled under him. Barely able to stand, Yugi wobbled over to lamp-lit bench and eased them both down. Malik flopped back, sliding a little bit towards Yugi. The smaller boy could see it was becoming hard for him to hold his head up.

Yugi caught his breath before asking: "Do you know where you're staying?"

"Mm, kind of," Malik's eyes were closed, that was all Yugi could observe before he had to turn his face away to breathe in fresh air.

"Great," Yugi murmured. He looked up the street. He couldn't see anyone. The only sign of life was a single car that sped by the seated two. He probably would have been home by now. He wondered if his grandfather was waiting for him. He hoped he wasn't; there was no telling how long he'd be waiting there with Malik. Was anyone looking for him?

"Yugi-_kun_, I love you."

Yugi immediately broke away from his thoughts. He carefully turned his head towards Malik and stared at him. Even though he wasn't taking his drunken friend seriously, a blush still crossed over his face. He scratched his head as he tried to find something to say to Malik, who was fighting to keep his eyes open, but found that all he could was nod and give a few nervous chuckles.

"You do so much for me, even though I don't deserve it," Malik said after a moment of strained silence. His eyes were slipping under their covers again and without warning he slid over the rough wood of the bench and his head fell on the side of Yugi's. "I love you."

Yugi's rigid body quickly bent under Malik's weight. Even though it was what he wanted to do most, Yugi didn't try to push Malik off. Part of him was worried about what the Egyptian might do if he awoke him, but another, smaller reason, was more compassionate. Yugi was sure that Malik's confession didn't mean much, but just in case something in there mattered, he could just play along.

But, he thought as he was pushed into a more uncomfortable position, hopefully he wouldn't have to do it for long.

**End.**

"**Oh my God, Rishid, we lost him!"**

**It's sad that the only thing I really like about this story is what I didn't put in it.**


End file.
